dang!! I didn't realize he has to beat rashad to be the champ!!! what was I thinking all this time...???? /confused.

Yeah, that line made absolutely no sense to me. I mean, that’s the line that a Champ feeds to the Interim Champ (GSP to Condit, for example). It’s not like Rashad was the long-time champ for lost a razor thin decision & doesn’t feel like he ever truly lost the belt. If your reasoning is “You gotta beat the champ to be the champ”, then let’s follow that reasoning, starting from the last multi-win champ:

OK, so here’s the only way that I can see Rashad thinking that he’s Jon’s obstacle: Rampage said he felt like that was still “his belt”, that he had never truly lost the Forrest fight. Perhaps, after beating Rampage, Rashad felt he had won the “real belt” and, a la Chael Sonnen, considered Tito & Phil to be his 1st & 2nd defenses of his “true UFC LHW Championship of the World”?

Yeah, that line made absolutely no sense to me. I mean, that’s the line that a Champ feeds to the Interim Champ (GSP to Condit, for example). It’s not like Rashad was the long-time champ for lost a razor thin decision & doesn’t feel like he ever truly lost the belt. If your reasoning is “You gotta beat the champ to be the champ”, then let’s follow that reasoning, starting from the last multi-win champ:

OK, so here’s the only way that I can see Rashad thinking that he’s Jon’s obstacle: Rampage said he felt like that was still “his belt”, that he had never truly lost the Forrest fight. Perhaps, after beating Rampage, Rashad felt he had won the “real belt” and, a la Chael Sonnen, considered Tito & Phil to be his 1st & 2nd defenses of his “true UFC LHW Championship of the World”?